Salt and Trace Minerals for Livestock, Poultry and Other Animals

Trace Mineral Nutrition of Fish

 During the past several years a fair amount of new information has been generated on the trace mineral requirements of a few cultured species of fish.  Although we know much less than with the other food animal species, the data presented here can serve as a foundation for the future.

Several studies on the mineral requirements of channel catfish have been reported (260).  The copper requirement is approximately 5 ppm in the diet.  When 2 ppm copper was fed, enzymes such as copper-zinc superoxide dismutase in the liver and heart cytochrome C oxidase were depressed.   Gatlin and Wilson (261) reported that iron deficiency signs in channel catfish included decreased weight gains, feed efficiency, hemoglobin, hematocrit, erythrocyte count and transferring saturation values.  Their data suggest that 20 ppm of iron in the diet is necessary to prevent deficiency signs.  Gatlin and Phillips (262) reported that 200 ppm zinc in the diet was required to provide adequate zinc for catfish fed diets high in calcium and phytate.

Because of their adaptability, tilapia is becoming an increasing popular culture fish.  McClain and Gatlin (263) conducted two experiments to determine the zinc requirements of fingerling blue tilapia.  Based on scale and bone zinc concentrations, 20 ppm zinc in the diet was the requirement to prevent zinc deficiency.  Additional research is needed to expand our understanding of the trace mineral nutrition of cultured fish. 

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